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   profane

   /prəˈfeɪn/

   adjective

   • 1. not relating to that which is sacred or religious; secular: "a talk that tackled topics both sacred and profane" Similar secularlaynon-religiousnon-churchtemporalworldlyearthlyunsanctifiedunconsecratedunhallowedrare:laicOpposite religioussacred
   • ▪ (of a person) not initiated into religious rites or any esoteric knowledge: "he was an agnostic, a profane man"
   • 2. (of a person or their behaviour) not respectful of religious practice; irreverent: "a profane person might be tempted to violate the tomb" Similar irreverentungodlygodlessimpiousdisrespectfulirreligiousunbelievingdisbelievingsacrilegiousidolatrous
   • ▪ (of language) blasphemous or obscene. Similar obsceneblasphemousfoulvulgarcrudefilthydirtysmuttycoarserudeoffensivescurrilousoff colourindecentindecorousrare:FescennineCyprianOpposite decorous

   verb

   • 1. treat (something sacred) with irreverence or disrespect: "it was a serious matter to profane a tomb"

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘heathen’): from Old French prophane, from Latin profanus ‘outside the temple, not sacred’, from pro- (from Latin pro ‘before’) + fanum ‘temple’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. profanation noun
   • 2. profanely adverb
   • 3. profaneness noun
   • 4. profaner noun

   Scrabble Points: 12

   • P

     3

   • R

     1

   • O

     1

   • F

     4

   • A

     1

   • N

     1

   • E

     1

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